Aminoalcohol



Patented OALQOHOL Henry B. Bass, W Lafayette, and Byron M.

Vanderbiltfigerre Haute, Ind., 1 on to Purdue roh Foundation, La Fayette, hiya I corporation or In Ni Application August is, 1937,

, 'SerlalNo. 158,95!

iclaim. '(ol. zoo-ass) Our invention relates to a new and useful aliphatic aminoalcohol and, more particularly, to an aminoalcohol wherein the. carbon atom attached to the amino group is adjacent to the cara hen atom attached to the hydroxyl group.

The'aminoalcohol of our invention has been -35 by any of the known methods'of reducing a nitro to an amino group provided that the conditions are not sumciently drastic to cause splitting of the molecule. we prefer, however, to prepare this compound by the catalytic hydrogenation of the ending nitro compounds in accordance with the process of copenliing application Serial No, 131,841 flledJuly 3, 1937. According to this process the nitroalcohol is hydrogenated at atof a nickel catalyst in the liquid phase-with or without an auxiliary solvent at temperatures below 165 C., and preferably between C. and

150 C. In general, any hydrogenation patalystf tures employed. We prefer, however, to use' a powdered nickel catalyst that is prepared in the following. manner: A nickel-aluminum alloy is prepared in the powdered form, a suitable alloy containing 50% aluminum and 50% nickel. The as aluminum is dissolved out 01- the powdered alloy by strong alkali solution, and the nickel residue is washed free irom alkali and salts with water and kept imder liquid. This catalyst is active at temperatures around and may be use repeatedly without losing its activity. Hydro genation may be carried out at hydrogen pressures varying from atmospheric pressure to over 2,000 pounds per square inch. The rate of re-. action is directly proportional to the hydrogen pressures and the temperatures employed. Thus, at a'hydrogen pressure of 600 pounds per square inch and at temperatures from 60 to 70 C. under the conditions we have employed, the hydrogenation will, in general, be round to be com plete after a period of 15 to 45 minutes. Lower pressures and lower temperatures will in general require longer times for the hydrogenation reaction to be completed and, conversely, higher pressures and temperatures will in general 55 shorten the time for completion of the hydromospheric' or increased pressures in the presence may be used that is active'within the temperainto a suitable pressure hydrogenation apparatus and sealed. Hydrogen was then introduced into gehation reaction. Optimum pressures and temperatures may be readily determined by simple experimentation and will depend, to some extent, on the amount of catalyst and solvent employed, the surface of the reaction mixture ex- 5 posed to the hydrogen, the rate of agitation, and the tendency for the nitroalcohol to decompose at higher temperatures under the conditions employed. Methyl or ethyl alcohol may be employed as solvents. I

After the reaction has been eflected the. catalyst may be separated from the reaction mixture bye any suitable means such as filtration ordecantation andthe aminoalmol separated, from the solution by fractional distillation. The aminoaltional crystallization of certain of its salts such as the oxalate or hydrochloride.

The following example illustrates a, suitable procedure for the preparation of the aminoalcohol 0mminvention:

Example One-hundred and thirty-three parts by weight of 2-nitro-1-pentanol were mixed with 360 parts or methyl alcohol, 40 parts of water, and l parts of a nickel catalyst, prepared as described in the foregoing, and the mixture was introduced.

the apparatus at roonr temperature at about 500 pounds per square inch at such a rate that the reaction temperature did not go above C. Hydrogenation was .carried out for 2 hours with constant agitation. At the conclusion of the hydrogenation the reaction mixture was re-- moved from the hydrogenation apparatus and the catalyst separated from the solution by filtration. The solution was subjected to fractional distillation, and 2-amino-1-pentanol was distilled over.

The aminoalcohol of our invention is a viscous colorless liquid at roomtemperature. It is extremely stable at temperatures up to' 'at least 200 C. and is soluble in the ordinary organic sol-.

. vents such as methyl alcohol, acetone, and benzene. This compound boils at 194 to 195 C. at 760 mm. of mercury (corrected), The refractive index at 20 C. is 1.4511, and its specific gravity is 0.9217 (25/4) Since the number of preparations of the compound examined was limited, it should be under-, stood that while the properties given will be useful in indentiiying the compound of our inas cohol may be further purified by refractionation 1 at atmospheric or reduced pressures, or by fracvention, we do not wish" to limit ourselves to a product having the exact properties listed.

The 2-nitro-1-pentanol used in the preparation of the Z-amino-l-pentanol described above may be prepared by any suitable method for introducing the nitro group into an aliphatic compound. However, we prefer to' prepare this compound in accordance with the. process 01' co-' The aminoalcohoi of our invention is particu:

larly useful as a corrosion inhibitor in anti-freeze combustion motors.

solutions used in the cooling systems or internal cohol of, our invention may be added to a water or water-alcohol solution in concentrations or from 0.1 to 1.0%, and thereby. substantially inhibit corrosion of the metal by the solution. Due to the basic nature of this compound it may also be utilized to absorb acids such ashydrogen sul-- flde or carbon dioxide from industrial gases. The aminoalcohol oi ourv invention is also useful-as an intermediate for the preparation of numerous organic compounds, and various other uses 01 this material will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Y we Our invention now having been describe what we claim is: v 2-amino-1-pentanol.

HENRY B. HASS. BYRON VANDERBILT.

For example, the aminoal- 

